Part two of The Bad Batch's finale served up a thrilling climax, kicking off in the midst of the Empire's destruction of Kamino's capital as The Batch struggle to escape. Having given the order last week, Rampart was in a suitably imperious mood as he watched over the devastating barrage of blaster fire from above.
Though the show has been littered with cameos episode 16, "Kamino Lost", revolved entirely around The Batch and their estranged brother Crosshair. He and Omega are cleverly juxtaposed throughout the episode, her kindness contrasts perfectly with Crosshair's cold exterior, building to a pivotal moment at the season's climax. It weaves together themes of replacement and free will which have been explored throughout the show's debut season.
Despite Disney having recently announced that The Bad Batch was being renewed for a second season, the finale remained fraught with tension thanks to the hazardous surroundings of the crumbling Tipoca City and the unpredictable Crosshair. Their attempts to flee the Empire's bombardment of Kamino are futile, the city that once helped give them life becomes a sinking sarcophagus. Crosshair is snared by some falling debris as the group is separated by a blast, sealing him, Omega and AZI in a flooding room. With the water rising, despite everything Crosshair has done, Omega doesn't think twice as she races to free him from the debris. It speaks to Omega's selflessness, and growth over the season, that she's calm and precise in her decision making. Her determination is rewarded as Crosshair is freed and the rest of The Batch manage to squeeze open the blast doors in the nick of time.
The respite is brief, as they sink deeper into the ocean, trapped in the remains of the discarded city. It feels bittersweet watching a bastion of the prequel trilogy descend beneath the waves. While Kamino's Tipoca City only appeared in Attack Of The Clones, it was both an integral location to the story and an embodiment of the many flaws of the prequels. The luminous city and the Kaminoan's within represented the trilogy's overreliance on CGI over practical effects. Nevertheless, its destruction resonates - owing to the heavy lifting that the likes of The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch have done for the wider Star Wars narrative. These shows offer nuance, operating in spaces which the movies both create deliberately and often brazenly overlook.
Omega recognizes that the city has come to rest on the ocean floor, realizing their best bet is to enter the nearby underwater passage which leads to the Marauder, much to Crosshair's chagrin. He still trusts in traditional leadership structures, deriding Hunter for what he believes to be a failure of leadership that will see them all fail to escape. He pours scorn on the fact Omega takes charge of this situation, partially because of his reliance on the Empire and its chain of command, but also because of the way things have changed since Crosshair was a part of The Batch - returning to one of the season's big themes 'replacements'. They are more than happy to trust Omega's snap analysis of the situation than to have Hunter or another member assert orders or discuss their approach in a committee.
One of the show’s greatest strengths is it’s cinematography, Dave Filoni and his team have produced some of the finest Star Wars moments in the debut season of The Bad Batch. Yet, the finale achieved the seemingly impossible task of surpassing the level of visual splendor reached throughout the series. The sense of scale offered as the group flees through the underwater tunnel impresses how vulnerable they are, especially when a monstrous sea creature is alerted to their presence. However, there is time for a quick discussion about Crosshair's nature as Wrecker bemoans the fact they still would have taken him back had he reached out any point. Crosshair's inhibitor chip might be gone, but as Tech suggests, he's always been "severe and unyielding", something that he can't change. Whether that's true or not, will become even more debatable later in the episode and lies at the heart of the Empire's decision to pivot away from Clones.
Upon reaching Nala Se's private lab, they discover that the rest of the tunnel has collapsed, increasing Crosshair's frustration at the plan being trusted to a child. Having reaffirmed his desire to side with the Empire, despite being abandoned by them, Crosshair is approached by Omega for a brief but poignant interaction. She opens up about the loneliness of existing in this lab for most of her life, why she had to find and unite with The Batch, but Crosshair dismisses her. The group's next hastily improvised escape plan is to seal themselves into medical pods and float to the surface under the droid's guidance to avoid any debris, although with AZI's battery cells depleting it's a dangerous gamble.
Things seem to be going swimmingly until Omega's pod is struck by a piece of debris, weighing her down. AZI descends and cuts at the scrap metal, while the others helplessly rise to the surface. The droid manages to free Omega, but at great personal cost as AZI's batteries finally expire. Unwilling to let AZI sink with the rest of the city, Omega opens her pod and swims down to save the powerless droid putting herself in jeopardy. Hunter frantically watches from the surface, as he loses sight of her, he decides to dive in prompting Crosshair to pull out his rifle. He seems set to train it on Hunter, to prevent him from diving into the depths, but instead, he pivots his aim towards the water. Finally, he fires a grapple hook into the ocean to Omega and AZI, a temporary olive branch, as he lifts them to safety. Perhaps not as unyielding as Tech implied? Or simply repaying Omega for saving him, as he says "now we're even."
As dawn breaks on Kamino, the group reflect upon the smoldering debris on the horizon. Despite the opportunity for The Batch to be reborn with a full quota of members in the ashes of Kamino's capital, Crosshair remains loyal to the Empire. He remains steadfast in his belief that "soldiers follow orders", adding another interesting wrinkle to the inhibitor chip discussion. So far, any clones who have damaged or removed chips have rebelled against the Empire but Crosshair's nature forces him to remain. As the show closes out, fans are treated to a possible hint at what's to come next season with a brief scene of Nala Se being escorted into an Imperial base.
Season one of The Bad Batch has been a comfortable success. While previous Star Wars animated shows struggled to find their feet, this one quickly settled into a rhythm. The finale bookends the season in a satisfactory manner, leaving The Batch in an interesting place. It would have felt unsatisfactory had Crosshair returned to the fold, his decision to remain with the Empire offers far more interesting narrative potential. Meanwhile, the open thread of Nala Se's capture and the Empire's continuation of cloning experiments offers an idea of where the series might head next season.
Season One of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney Plus.